University of Northern Colorado

University of Northern Colorado
The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed its name three times, first to Colorado State College of Education, at Greeley on February 16, 1935, Colorado State College on February 11, 1957, and its current form since May 1, 1970. Approximately 10,000 students are enrolled in six colleges. Extended campus locations are in Loveland, Denver/Aurora, and Colorado Springs. UNC's 19 athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Big Sky Conference.
Campus
The campus is divided into two main areas: central and west. UNC's Central Campus includes the areas north of 20th Street and west of 8th Avenue in Greeley, Colorado. The residence halls on Central Campus have been designated a state historic district.
Organization
The board of trustees for the university oversees the administration and approves the university annual budget. Several members of the university's administrative team are ex officio members of the Board.
Presidents
The university has had 13 presidents since its establishment:
Thomas J. Gray — 1890–1891
James H. Hayes — (interim) 1891, November 11, 1915 – 1916
Zachariah Xenophon Snyder — 1891–1915
John Grant Crabbe — Late summer 1916–1924
George Willard Frasier — 1924–1947
William Robert Ross — 1947–1964 (assumed office December 20, 1947)
Darrell Holmes — 1964–1971
Frank P. Lakin — 1969, 1971 (interim)
Richard R. Bond — 1971–1981
Charles Manning (acting) — 1981
Robert C. Dickeson — 1981–1991
Richard Davies (acting) — January 1 – August 29, 1987
Stephen T. Hulbert (interim) — July 1 – September 30, 1991
Herman Lujan — 1991–1996
Howard Skinner (interim) — June 1996 – June 1998
Hank Brown — July 1998 – June 2002
Kay Norton — July 2002 – July 2018
Andy Feinstein - July 2018 – present
College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) is an arts community of practitioners, scholars, and learners representing a range of arts traditions and disciplines.
UNC has a tradition as an arts institution and its main college offices, located in Guggenheim Hall, are one of the oldest buildings on campus.
Student life
Greek life
Traditional sororities
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Phi
Delta Zeta
Sigma Kappa
Traditional fraternities
Delta Sigma Phi
Lambda Chi Alpha
Pi Kappa Phi
Pi Kappa Alpha
Multicultural sororities
Lambda Theta Nu
Pi Lambda Chi
Sigma Lambda Gamma
Lambda Theta Alpha
Kappa Delta Chi
Multicultural fraternities
Sigma Lambda Beta
Nu Alpha Kappa
Lambda Sigma Upsilon
Athletics
Sports teams at the school are called Bears. Northern Colorado joined the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2006. The school mascot is Klawz the Bear and the school colors are navy blue and gold. The Fight Song is the "UNC Fight Song". Northern Colorado's Athletic Director is Darren Dunn.
The Bears play their football games at Nottingham Field, while the men's and women's basketball teams and women's volleyball team play at the Bank of Colorado Arena at Butler-Hancock Athletic Center. "Fear The Claw" is the student section slogan. Northern Colorado won its first Big Sky Championship in 2009 when the women's volleyball team beat Portland State to capture the Big Sky Volleyball Championship.
A number of the university's alumni have gone on to have professional sports careers. Vincent Jackson attended and played football at Northern Colorado from 2001 to 2004 before being drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. Other football alumni for the school include punter Dirk Johnson, quarterback Kyle Sloter, safety Reed Doughty, and defensive lineman Aaron Smith.
Before upgrading to NCAA Division I in 2006, UNC was a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1923 to 1972 and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–76). Following several years of being conference independent, the university joined the North Central Conference. The Bears have won two Division II Football National Championships in 1996 and 1997. On March 9, 2011, the Bears won the Big Sky Conference tournament championship in men's basketball, clinching a trip to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the first in the school's history. The Northern Colorado men's baseball program also ranks among the top 15 schools for most all-time NCAA College World Series appearances, tied with the University of Oklahoma at ten appearances apiece. The Northern Colorado women's softball team appeared in the first eleven Women's College World Series ever held in 1969–1979, advancing to but losing the title game in 1974.
Mascots
The bear became UNC's mascot in 1923. Before the school adopted the bear, athletes used the nickname "the Teachers." The bear was said to be inspired by a bear on top of an Alaskan totem pole donated by an 1897 alumnus in 1914. The totem pole was kept in the University Center, but under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, the pole was reclaimed by the Tlingit in 2003.
Klawz is the mascot that attends all university sporting events. Klawz is the newest addition to the long line of Bears' mascots over the years at the university. Klawz made his first appearance in Nottingham Field on August 30, 2003, before the UNC football team opened their season against New Mexico Highlands.
Notable alumni
Notes
References
Further reading
Albert Frank Carter – "Forty years of Colorado State Teachers College, formerly the State Normal School of Colorado, 1890–1930"
Larson, Robert W; Boulder: Colorado Associated University Press, (1989). Shaping educational change: the first century of the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley. .
Kurt Hinkle – "Northern Light: The Complete History of the University of Northern Colorado Football Program." (1998).
External links
Northern Colorado athletics website
University of Northern Colorado rugby football club
Education in Weld County, Colorado
Greeley, Colorado
Public universities and colleges in Colorado
Schools in Weld County, Colorado
Educational institutions established in 1889
1889 establishments in Colorado
Tourist attractions in Weld County, Colorado
Education in Aurora, Colorado